Multicolored Tangerine
by Han is lame
Summary: Shuuhei is desperate for a vicecaptain since his promotion, so why is he peoplewatching in Harajuku? ShuuheixOC...eventually. Spoilers current with the manga chapter 240, to be safe. Enjoy! Review if you have the time.
1. Hollow Stains

Chapter one: Hollow Stains

Harajuku, noon and a half, Friday. Shuuhei sat in the cafe, drinking tea spiked with sake from a thermos he brought from the Soul Society. It was an odd combination, but it suited him. People watching was the best in Harajuku as everyone wore such odd clothing. So what if he was supposed to be on duty? Being a captain had its perks. Yamamoto had sent him out to find a replacement vice-captain for the seat he had just left vacant upon promotion. So, here he was, sitting in the middle of Harajuku, staring at the multitude of decora, gothic lolita, ganguro, and generally strange fashion. One girl in particular kept staring in his direction, as if she could see him checking her out. Out of habit, he kept avoiding her gaze and grinning irrepressibly as she would glance over at him. If she could actually see him, as ludicrous as that idea was, she was doing an incredible job of not smiling back.

She stood, looking off in the distance behind him and narrowing her eyes. Shuuhei felt it too. She slipped what resembled a penguin Pez dispenser out of a pouch on her belt, popped a candy in her mouth, and left her body sitting in the cafe, quietly sipping cappuccino. Her freed soul had no chain connecting her to her body and a zanpakutou was now hanging from her CAUTION tape belt. She ran towards Shuuhei's table, leapt up onto it, and hopped again to the cafe's roof, making lingering eye contact with Shuuhei as she passed. Being that it was part of his duty as a shinigami, he took off after her just in case. She looked more dangerous, somehow, when detached from her body, which waved at him as he got up and used shunpo to follow her.

The girl leapt easily from roof to roof, following the trail of the hollow's reiatsu. It was very close, she could tell. There was a smaller, weaker reiatsu tracing with the hollow's, and she kept that in mind as she hurried to find whatever it was. Finally closing in on the hollow's precise location, the girl jumped from the roof of a bookstore into a wide alleyway. The hollow was leaning over a small soul in the form of a little girl of maybe eight or nine years.

"Hey!" Shuuhei heard the girl call out before he was in view. He hopped easily down from the bookstore's roof to watch and help if necessary. "Yeah, I'm talking to you, fishface!" The hollow looked up and growled at the girl, backing off from the petrified child to walk menacingly towards her. "What, you think a little meow is gonna scare me?"

"Do you have any idea who you're dealing with?" the hollow demanded, raising itself onto its hind limbs. The girl spat on the ground and grinned, loosening her sword from its sheath.

"Do you think I care?" she asked, walking calmly towards the hulking beast. It didn't seem to know what to make of her, staring down at the advancing girl. She got close enough to it that she could probably smell its breath. She distracted the hollow with her boldness, maintaining eye contact while she silently drew her sword. Both standing utterly still, awaiting the other's move, the girl and the hollow stayed nose to nose for at least a minute before the hollow made an attempt to pounce on her. It sailed over her head as she quickly dropped to a cross-legged sitting position and held her sword point-up with both hands for steadiness. A long gash was ripped in the hollow's soft underbelly and it emitted a most horrible shriek, landing clumsily in a dumpster. The girl stood up, brushing off her clothes coolly. The hollow stood, dripping blood as it moved, and faced the girl once more. She leered at it, jerking her head to tell it to advance. The hollow didn't waste any time attacking; it launched itself from the ground with large froglike legs, this time with better aim. Connecting with the girl, the hollow grabbed her shoulders and pushed her into a connected somersault where she ended up pinned to the ground. Its large feet held her legs in place while its foreclaws maintained a rough grip on her shoulders. It pulled back its lips to reveal several rows of sharp teeth and a long, gooey tongue. A few drops of its saliva dripped onto the girl's face, but she didn't squirm or resist as the acid burned small places on her cheeks. In fact, her taunting smile never waned. Shuuhei wondered if she'd survive. There was no way she could get out of this. He readied his hand on his sword when the hollow spoke.

"Damn you, why won't you look scared? All of my past victims have died with such a pleasant look of horror on their faces. You are a disappointment," the hollow breathed, rumbling its anger deep from its chest.

"Who said I was a victim?" At once, four black balls of energy appeared in the air around the hollow. Two attached to the hollow at the shoulders while the other two fit to its hips. The girl snapped her fingers and all four exploded in a spectacular display of kidou and shattered reiatsu. The hollow's arms and legs completely severed from its body and its body in turn fell heavily on the girl. She easily lugged it off, rolling from under it. She stood up, covered in the hollow's blood, and pierced it through the center of its mask with her zanpakutou. She then turned to the little girl, smiling a gentler smile. "Would you like to go to a nice place, full of people who were once like you, stuck on earth with no one to protect them? Where there are people like me and that nice gentleman over there to keep those nasty hollows at bay?" Shuuhei was almost flattered that she acknowledged him. The little girl nodded, mustering the bravest smile she had. The older girl patted her head. "It'll all be fine in the Soul Society. Don't you worry your pretty head." With that, the girl performed the exclusive cleansing ritual used by shinigami. The small girl faded, waving happily at her savior. "Good-bye, little one," she said, waving back. She turned to Shuuhei and said brightly, "Well! That was a messy fight. You could've helped, you know."

Shuuhei blinked at her, surprised by her boldness. Then he remembered that she probably didn't recognize captains' garb. "You looked like you had it under control," he managed to respond, unsure of what to say.

"I did," she beamed. "But you know how hard hollow blood is to get out of clothes! How do you captains keep your white robes so clean?"

"We have extras... Wait. How do you know about shinigami ranking?"

"It's a moderately long story. Come back to the cafe with me and I'll tell you. I'm Mikan. Kaninabe Mikan," she said, bowing lightly.

Out of habit and courtesy, Shuuhei bowed as well, announcing, "Captain of the Ninth Company of the Gotei Thirteen, Hisagi Shuuhei."

"Impressive title. Do you carry it with you everywhere?" Mikan asked, raising an eyebrow. Shuuhei could amost feel a blush creeping up in his cheeks, but years of suppression training kept it back. "Shall we?" She didn't wait for an answer; she simply began walking back to the cafe.


	2. Funny Thing about my Greatx5 Grandmother

Chapter Two: Funny Thing about my Greatx5 Grandmother...

Mikan and Shuuhei made their way back to the cafe in relative silence. Shuuhei was itching to ask questions but Mikan had said she'd explain everything at the cafe. He'd keep his mouth shut until then.

"So, Hisagi-kun (do you mind if I call you that?), what brings someone of high rank like yourself down to the human world?" Mikan didn't bother to turn around when she asked.

"I'm supposed to be looking for a replacement vice-captain for my squad. I was taking a break when that hollow attacked." That would have to do. He couldn't have her taking the impression that he was a slacker.

"I see. You come to Harajuku often?"

"When I'm in the mood to people-watch, yes."

"I wonder why I've never seen you before. Where do you usually hang out? I go to that cafe almost daily," she said, fiddling with a bit of her hair that was much longer than the rest.

"I wander. I don't think I've ever sat in the same place twice."

"Hmm. I'm surprised I haven't seen you before. I usually notice shinigami whether they're hiding their reiatsu or not. Sometimes you can get fooled though, because of the weirdos running around in gi and hakama. Not that my fashion sense is any more normal than theirs, I guess..." It was true: Mikan's fashion sense was very unique, to say the least. She had pale purple hair put into pigtails with bangs and long tendrils framing her face. She wore a headband with bouncy alien antennae on it as well as dark red wings with straggly-looking feathers. Her outfit consisted of a red bolero jacket with a useless strap hanging from the right side in the front. She used it at a witty button-holder. Under that, she wore a red bathing suit top with black skulls over where her nipples would be, a purple tank under that, and an orange long-sleeved object that resembled a shirt but covered no more than her neck to her collarbone and had bands around her hands. She wore a bright yellow CAUTION tape as a belt with an alteration of a pedestrian crossing sign as a belt buckle. It had a dancing person on it. Her skirt was short, orange and pleated with a dark purple stripe around the bottom with pale purple fishnet sewn onto the outer edge of that. She wore black fishnets over red stockings and two different legwarmers--one was orange and thickly knitted and the other was red with black stars all over it. Her boots were the same pale purple as her hair and her skirt's fishnet and had dark purple, orange, and red polka dots on the body with tricolor stripes on the outer soles. It came together really well, as odd as it may sound. Her zanpakutou's handle and sheath matched by being orange and purple. "But whatever. I'm talking too much, aren't I?"

"Not especially. I just wish you would tell me how you know so much about the spirit side of things."

"Interesting terminology. You can wait a little longer, right? We're almost there." Her tone was constantly nonchalant and seemingly uninterested. She waved at her body but did not rejoin it as they arrived at the cafe. Instead, she found an empty table and sat, motioning for Shuuhei to be seated as well. "No doubt you're wondering about me and my knowledge." Shuuhei sat and perked to attention. "Well, it goes like this: My family is descended from one of the greatest captains the Gotei Thirteen has ever had. You may or may not have heard of her--Hayami Miyuki, former captain of the Eleventh Company." She took the look on Shuuhei's face to mean that he had indeed heard of her and continued in satisfaction. "Well, she's my great times five grandmother. Yeah, sue me, it gets tiring saying great five times. Anyway, she had a child. A girl. That girl's name was Michiru. I dunno why, but my family has a thing for the syllable "mi." Michiru grew up in the shadow of her mother and decided that she'd give up her shinigami training and live on earth as a normal human being. Miyuki let her go, but knew she'd change her mind. Michiru came back to Soul Society after having started a family on earth and begged that Miyuki teach her all she knew. Miyuki agreed and took her estranged daughter under her wing, sharing all her knowledge and secrets with one stipulation: She would have to instruct all further generations in the same kind of training and the next generation would instruct the next and so on. Michiru agreed and returned to earth as a full-fledged, captain-level shinigami. She instructed her daughter Mika and Mika taught her daughter Minako and she in turn taught me. I'm still learning, but I've got less than a year left before I've completed my training. Because of my family's background, I am kept up-to-date on all Seireitei-related events through special connections that Obaa-chan Mika has shared with us. And that, as they say, is that."

Shuuhei stared at Mikan for a few moments, absorbing all she'd just told him. "So, Miyuki-dono was the one who was..."

"Killed by Kenpachi Zaraki, yes. I've forgiven him. I might do the same thing put in his position. I'd love to meet him, though, and give him a piece of my mind. Or praise him for defeating Hayami Miyuki. Whichever. What's he like?"

"Bloodthirsty, in a word. Ruthless, battle-hungry, persistent, and very nonchalant," Shuuhei said, remembering well when Ichigo Kurosaki fought Kenpachi in a one-on-one match to the "death." Kenpachi swore he'd get a rematch one day and hunted Ichigo down as soon as he'd heard of his recovery. Ichigo was fortunate enough to have many distractions as he left the Soul Society and escape him.

"Sounds charming," Mikan said, making a face. She glanced at her watch and gasped. "Hey, sorry to cut this short, but I've got to be at work in fifteen minutes. Would you like to meet tomorrow, same time, same place? I have a lot I want to ask you still, since I did all the explaining today."

Shuuhei stood as she did, ready to escort her if need be. "I suppose. I guess finding a vice-captain will have to wait. It's not like I need one, you know, with the Arrancar war going on and all that..." His tone was sarcastic. Mikan grinned and shook her head at him, walking to her body.

"So, we are definitely on for tomorrow?"

"Definitely, unless something drastic comes up. I doubt anything will, though. We've had few leads and few direct attacks in the past few weeks. I'm sure I can manage without a vice-captain for another day."

"Okay, cool. I'll see you then, then. 'Bye, Hisagi-kun!" She merged with her body and walked around the building and reemerged on a bicycle a few seconds later. Shuuhei waved as she rode off, miniscule bells on her bike jingling as she went.

"I wonder..."


	3. The Wannabes

Chapter Three: The Wannabes

Shuuhei returned to the Soul Society via hell butterfly and immediately sat down to work, donning his rarely-used glasses. Abarai Renji barged into his office, laying an arm on the desk and staring hard at Shuuhei with a sour grin on his lips. "Can I help you, Abarai?" Shuuhei didn't bother to look up from his paperwork. He knew exactly what Renji would say and could read his expression accurately from his body language alone.

"Where have you been all afternoon? I've been looking for you. Rather, Yamamoto-dono has been looking for you. He wants you to interview some candidates he's found," Renji said in a huff. He appeared to be rather ruffled and upset at the idea of being Yamamoto's messenger boy.

"How many?" Shuuhei still didn't look up. He signed a few releases and filled out an information sheet on Mikan.

"Who's Kaninabe Mikan? I've never heard that name before."

"Don't worry about it. How many?"

"That's a vice-captain request. Who is this person?"

Shuuhei looked up, annoyed at Renji's questions. "Look, don't worry about it. I just want to give her the test. She seems well-qualified. Don't you have something you should be doing? Like staying in your own company's business? Or answering my question?"

Renji made an annoyed sound and started to walk out. "Eight. You have eight to interview." He stopped in the doorway and looked back at Shuuhei, who was adjusting his glasses. "Is she cute?"

"Abarai!" Renji snorted and left, taking that as a yes. Shuuhei sighed heavily and tried to determine how much Mikan weighed. He suddenly wadded up the paper and threw it in the garbage bin next to his desk. "She wouldn't be interested anyway." Standing, Shuuhei began to walk to Yamamoto's office. Dumbass Renji hadn't told him where Yamamoto would be waiting or if he would be waiting at all. He arrived at an empty office and rolled his eyes, turning around to go to the training field. That's usually where would-be captains or vice-captains tested, depending on the weather. He passed one of his own subordinates on the way and asked if he had seen Yamamoto and the candidates. The boy pointed towards the training area and bowed low as Shuuhei walked past. "At least I'm commanding some sort of respect now..."

"Hello, Captain!" Yamamoto greeted, more friendly than usual. Shuuhei had a feeling he was putting up a front for the candidates so that they wouldn't get scared off by his usually grouchy demeanor. "These seven gentlemen and lady would like to audition, if I may use such a term, to be vice-captain." Yamamoto gestured to the eight nervous-looking people clustered around the circle used for precision training. "I'll leave them to you, Hisagi." As Yamamoto passed close to Shuuhei, he muttered, "Take into account that we're scraping the bottom of the barrel with seated-position candidates. No one wants to take on responsibility for fear of getting killed by a Menos." He clapped Shuuhei on the back in what should have been reassurance. It only furthered Shuuhei's cynicism. Not one of these people was from Ninth Company, and none of them looked older than eighteen. From their badges, Shuuhei could tell that only one was seated higher than sixth in ranking, and that was the scrawniest boy of the bunch from Fourth Company. The girl looked ditzy and promiscuous, Shuuhei noted, and was probably just trying to get closer to him. The other six weren't really worth mentioning.

"So, who's first?" The girl's hand shot up before any of the boys even registered what he'd said. "All right. Name, rank, and company, please."

"Toriyaka Junko, fifteenth seat, Thirteenth Company!" She veritably squealed upon acknowledgement and her body language reflected her hyper demeanor.

"What makes you think you'd be a good vice-captain?"

"Uhm, I dunno. I guess I just wanna do something for Soul Society. And for you, Hisagi-sama." Her eyes darkened in what would have been seductive if she didn't look completely goofy while doing it.

"Next."

"W-wait, Hisagi-sama! Won't you even consider me?"

"I did consider you. And I decided against it. Next." Junko's eyes widened and she left in a huff, purposely running into the poor fifth seat from Fourth and nearly knocking him over. He looked around at his peers and realized that he stood alone from the group. "You. Fourth Company. What's your name and rank?"

"Oh, um, Ikimoto Hiroshi, fifth seat, Fourth... You already know that." This one was the complete opposite; he was meek and reminded Shuuhei painfully of Yamada Hanatarou. He never made direct eye contact and shuffled a lot.

"Same question."

"I... My... My colleagues dared me to do this. I'd really prefer to get back to my unit now, if you wouldn't mind, Hisagi-san," the boy said, drooping into a low bow.

"As you wish. Tell your friends that I said this is a serious matter and that they shouldn't joke around with things like this unless they want me to come and take care of them personally. Got it?"

"Y-yes, sir." Hiroshi bowed deeply again and hurried off.

"How many of you are here as a joke?" Shuuhei's tone was stern, but he was somehow relieved to see that he wouldn't have to bother with three more candidates who immediately started walking away. "Okay. Next."

The buff, blond man stepped forward. "Hisagi-san. I'm seventh seat of Second Company, Takata Minoru. I'm here because I wish to further serve Soul Society in these desperate times." He saluted. Shuuhei couldn't hold back his laughter. He had to disguise it with a coughing fit which he finally recovered from, clearing his throat convincingly.

"Let me see your qualifications."

"Sir!" Minoru stepped to attention, saluting once more before he reached into his shihakusho for his papers. Shuuhei took them and skimmed over them quickly.

"Thank you, Takata. I'll contact you if you are in the final consideration. You may take your leave."

"Sir, thank you, sir!" And Minoru marched off as well.

"Look, I'm sorry. I don't have time for all this, you two. Just give me your papers and I'll find you later if I want you. I have a headache, you understand?" The two cadets nodded in sympathy and handed over their papers as well. "Thank you for your interest, sincerely. You may also take your leave." Shuuhei sighed and began trudging back to his office to sort out these papers. From the initial bit he'd seen, he was not impressed. It was certainly very kind of them to show interest, but they just weren't qualified enough for the position. Surely there was someone in the Gotei Thirteen worthy of vice-captaincy! Perhaps Ikkaku... No. He'd never leave Kenpachi's side. Not when the chance to overpower and defeat him still lay wide open. Perhaps Ayasegawa? No. That guy gave Shuuhei the creeps. And he'd never be able to live down losing to a fifth seat like him and he certainly didn't want that in a vice-captain. Shuuhei decided then that he would ask Mikan if she wanted the job when he saw her the following day.


	4. Bitchin' Fashion Sesne

Chapter Four: Bitchin' Fashion Sense

Mikan got up early that day as she had morning shift at her job. She worked in a small shop in the dead center of Harajuku selling handmade fashions ranging from gothic lolita to cyberpunk and everything in between. Her boss owned the shop (called Flying Pincushion) and had been selling her wares for fifteen years. Mikan was basically in apprenticeship. At three, Mikan left as her replacement Tia arrived. Tia was an American girl who had gotten into a Japanese fashion design school on a scholarship. She was very skilled at coming up with designs, but her sewing skills were nowhere near as good as Mikan's and her color coordinating abilities were abysmal. She mostly helped out in the creative design process. They briefly talked before Mikan left hurriedly, hoping she wouldn't be late to meet Shuuhei. Hopping on her trusty red bicycle, Mikan jingled her way to the Sour Bean Cafe. She locked up her bike in the alley behind the cafe. Walking around front, she saw Shuuhei at her usual table. He was using a gigai and wore a black wifebeater under a crisp, short-sleeved white button-up shirt with skull designs and some witty phrase on the sleeves. He had a black and red striped wristband on each wrist. His pants were black and had a couple of random chains and zippers hanging out of pockets, coming out of knees, running vertically and horizontally across his legs. And black, nonreflective sunglasses. It was a really well-put-together outfit, Mikan mused, giving him the once-over. She didn't care if he was watching from behind those dark lenses; she'd look if she damn well pleased. He stood and walked over to her.

"Hey."

"Hey. What's up?"

"I wanted to talk to you about something. It concerns the Soul Society." Shuuhei was going to say more, but Mikan cut him off.

"You look awesome. Did you put this outfit together yourself, or did the gigai come with it?"

Shuuhei was caught off-guard. "I... did it?"

"You have some bitchin' fashion sense. Would you like to sit down?" she asked, motioning to the table that Shuuhei had occupied previously. He snapped back and nodded, unconsciously pulling out a chair for her. She reddened slightly and sat, making a big show of scooting in. Shuuhei sat opposite her at the small table and raised his sunglasses.

"Now, about that Soul Society business," he began, leaning forward somewhat. He was apprehensive talking about Soul Society around so many people and wanted as few as possible to hear. "I have a proposal to make."

"Can this wait? I had a list of questions laid out in my head and I want to ask before I forget them," she interrupted, straightening in her seat. Shuuhei nodded resignedly and allowed her to speak. "All right. First: Do they still talk about Miyuki, or mention her at all?"

"Rarely. Usually no one talks about the past in the Soul Society, except in the history class we are required to take in the Shinigami Academy."

"Do they talk about Michiru, then?"

"No."

"How about the Hayami descendents at all?"

"I didn't know about you, did I?"

"Touche. All right. Last one: Why did you come back?"

"What? You told me to, right?"

Mikan giggled like a schoolgirl at that one. "Wow, good one. Man. Since when does a _captain_ listen to the desires of ordinary human beings?"

"Pardon me, but you're hardly an ordinary human being. And I came back as a man, not as a captain. I can't just do that to someone if they seem genuinely interested in some knowledge that I possess. Not to mention that I do have ulterior motives." 'Here it comes,' Mikan thought, 'He's going to tell me he wants me. I can see it in his eyes.' "I want to know if you'd like to be a vice-captain."

"Not what I thought you were going to say," Mikan said, making an inward face. "But an interesting proposition nonetheless. On what terms?"

"As long as you like. Permanently, I daresay. That was a particularly high-level hollow you defeated the other day. I did some research and found that he's been terrorizing humans and earthbound souls alike for the past twenty years, all the time eluding shinigami and growing stronger. You defeated him with relative ease. Have you unsealed your zanpakutou?"

"Of course."

"What level kidou are you up to?"

"Eighty-seven."

"Shit."

"Good or bad shit?"

"Very good shit, as disgusting as that sounds. You're higher than most of Second Company."

"No way."

"Way. Captain Soi Fong is only up to level one hundred four."

"There are only one hundred fifteen levels. Miyuki established the 115th. All the Hayami descendents stopped at one hundred, though, because

Michiru refused to teach higher than that. She said it would betray Miyuki to become as strong as her."

"I know. Soi Fong has created some new ones and they've been accepted as the replacement fifteen. The others have been discarded as forbidden techniques. It's just a cover-up for their immense power."

Mikan leaned back in her seat. "Man, Miyuki would spit if she knew that Michiru went against her orders." Taking a sip of her coffee, Mikan stared off into the distance. Suddenly, her face lit up. "Would you like see all of the relics we have? Many are one of a kind."

"Certainly. Where to?" Shuuhei's interest was piqued and he began to pull out a wallet. He dropped money on the table to pay for the two coffees and creullers. Mikan stared on uncomfortably.

"You don't have to pay for me, you know..."

"I want to. It's the least I can do."

"In exchange for what?"

"Your time."

Mikan had to strain to keep back her squeal of delight. 'He's so damn sweet,' she thought. 'Totally betrays what he looks like, though.' "Thanks, then. It's awfully nice of you."

Shuuhei waved it off, suppressing a grin and standing up. "Like I said, where are we headed?"

"Oh, right. My house. I inherited a bunch, but most of it's at Mika's and my mom's house. I've got sufficient stuff to keep any shinigami amused for hours." She stood up as well, going around back to get her bicycle.

"Why do you ride that ridiculous thing?" Shuuhei said, unable to keep back his laughter this time.

"Hey. It works. And I'm too poor to afford a car right now. And it's loud and obnoxious, like me." She mounted her bike and took off. Shuuhei almost had to run to keep up. "And it beats walking!" she called back, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Damn it, woman," he muttered, grinning and quickening his pace. "But she's so cute." He hoped to god that she didn't hear that, upon afterthought. Mikan turned a corner up ahead and Shuuhei hoped they were close to her house. It was indeed a residential district that they had turned into, but it looked too high-scale to be where she lived, if she did indeed speak the truth when she said she was poor. They kept going past the more expensive houses to some smaller, more modest homes. Mikan turned off into an alleyway between two houses, parking her bike and chaining it up.

"Here we are, home sweet home," she said, pulling out some keys. She unlocked the door, motioning Shuuhei inside and grabbing a cat that darted out when she opened the door. "It's not much, but I love it."

"It's rather charming," Shuuhei commented. He was looking around at her decor; it was indeed something to behold. Mikan's taste in clothing didn't range far from her taste in interior decorating. Bright colors and interesting fabrics were all over, but somehow she made it look good without going overboard. He noticed the struggling cat in Mikan's arms and attempted to pet it. "What's his name?"

"Momoiro."

"It's a girl?"

"No, he's just gay," she replied, letting the cat down. He ran and jumped on the couch, burrowing into a blanket. He gave Mikan a bad look from under the blanket, but she just stuck her tongue out at him. "So. What do you wanna see first?"

"Do you have anything to drink? It's a little easier to ride half a mile than it is to run it."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I figured gigais couldn't get tired. Never used one myself, you understand." She bustled over to the fridge, feeling very much like a bad hostess as she dug through stuff. "I've got bottled water and some Ramune leftover from a festival a couple of weeks ago. I need to go grocery shopping soon, forgive the lack of selection."

"Ramune?" Shuuhei was interested. "What's Ramune?"

"It's so good. It's a carbonated sweet drink. Here." She placed a bottle in Shuuhei's hand and took one for herself. "You pull off the plastic on top and pop out this piece, see? Then, you put it on a hard, firm surface and press the opener down into the bottle to push the marble down. Careful, it might try to overflow on you. There." Shuuhei went through the process and stared as the drink fizzed around the marble.

"I drink this? It looks like it's boiling."

"Is is hot?"

"Well, no, but..." Shuuhei trailed off, feeling foolish. He took a small sip warily. It was fizzy and cold and pleasantly sweet. He was pleased with the flavor and downed the small bottle.

"Well?"

"It's good. Very satisfying."

"I'm glad. Now, do you want to see the Soul Society monitor? I'm pretty sure no one in Soul Society knows about it."


	5. Sun Goddess and Beautiful Snow

Chapter Five: Sun Goddess and Beautiful Snow

Mikan walked him to the living room where there were two television sets on a low table, a coffee table, and a puffy orange couch. She motioned towards the couch and sat, huddling in the corner.

"What's the matter?" Shuuhei asked, watching as she neatly compacted herself to fit such a small area.

"Nothing... It's just a complex I have. If it's a seat with armrests, I tuck myself into a corner. Comfort thing, you understand." She grabbed one of the remotes sitting on the coffee table and pointed it at the larger of the two television sets. It flickered on and came to a menu screen. Mikan hit a few buttons and Shuuhei found himself staring at the training field in Soul Society.

"Hey, I was just there yesterday," he thought aloud. Mikan giggled and pressed another button. The screen changed to a picture of the Seireitei's main street. People were busily droning about, coming in and out of buildings and conversing with one another. Shuuhei watched and found himself becoming more and more uncomfortable with the very thorough surveillance.

"Don't worry. Miyuki didn't put any in any private locations. There aren't cameras in the dorms, captains' and vice-captains' chambers, or in Center 46. No privacy has been jeopardized so long as people exchange private information or... Ahem. Right. Do things in private quarters and you won't be seen by these cameras. I can't promise anything about other bugs, but Miyuki tried her best to remain unobtrusive. What she did was legal and got an okay from the head honchos in Seireitei. Though, I'm pretty sure they've all forgotten about it now," she mused, watching a clumsy shinigami-in-training scurry down the main drag.

Shuuhei looked over at her in surprise. "Didn't you hear what happened...?"

"What?"

"All of Center 46 was killed in one night by a rogue captain. There are no 'head honchos' anymore."

"Yeah, I heard about that. Aizen was his name?" Shuuhei nodded. "Yeah, I was definitely trying to deny that one. Miyuki's husband was serving in Center 46. He was the last remaining carrier of the name Hayami as he and Miyuki never had any kids other than Michiru. But hey, there's nothing we can do to bring them back, right? Just have to move along and not worry about it." She went silent for a while. Shuuhei guessed that she probably wasn't close to her great times five grandfather, but it still affected her to hear that the news was indeed true. He watched as she shuddered into life again, pressing a button on the remote, this time switching to a vantage over the Soukyoku and remembered why he was there.

"So. What do you think of my offer? Would you like the job as vice-captain?"

"Oh, right. I guess I could... I mean, I'd have to quit my job here, right?"

"Probably. It's a full-time occupation and I don't think you'd even be able to balance living in both the living and soul realms. You'd be provided full attire, food, water, training, and housing. We keep our people well-taken-care-of in Seireitei. Not so much can be said for Rukongai, but you just have to work your way up. But yeah. I won't start my rant on Rukongai right now; we've got more important matters at hand."

"Will I still be able to do fashion as a hobby? Are we _required_ to wear shihakusho at all times?"

"You can continue fashion in your spare time, but I can't promise that you're going to have a lot of spare time. And we are required to wear shihakusho when on duty. The only times we don't have to wear them is when we either go to the human world in gigais or if we aren't working. Though, they are pretty lenient as far as altering the shihakusho goes... So I'm sure you could make something cool and unique out of that."

Mikan's face lit up. Shuuhei had just indirectly complimented her (in her mind). "Can I make a white one and dye it bright green or something?" She seemed more excited about the prospect of altering her uniform than actually joining the ranks of the Gotei Thirteen. Shuuhei found it rather charming how concerned she was with her clothing and looking unique.

"You'll have to run that past Yamamoto. He'd be able to tell you better than I can. I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem, though. So long as you wear your uniform and crest, no one should object."

"Spiffy. So... What's the process for becoming a vice-captain? Anything I should study up on? Or know before I do it?"

"You'll have to pass an examination of your kidou, hakuda, and swordsmanship as well as pass vision and hearing tests and all that fun stuff. We have a sheet you fill out first to get an appointment and a lot of your personal information goes into that. After that, though, you won't be asked to provide identification or anything like that. Just show up at the appointed time, take your tests, and hopefully pass. Your kidou (if it's as high as you say it is) should be enough to get you through. Though, you'd be more qualified for Second Company if that's your forte. If you don't mind me asking, what's your sword's name?"

"Do you even need to ask that?"

"What? Are you embarrassed?"

"No, I just figured it was obvious. Miyuki." She laughed as Shuuhei's expression fell.

"You mean... She became the spirit of a zanpakutou after her death?"

"Yep. Mika-'baa-chan received the zanpakutou the day after Miyuki's funeral. It came to her first in the form of Miyuki's spirit. The spirit explained that she had been overtaken by Kenpachi in Soul Society and that she should become a zanpakutou's spirit as many great shinigami had once done upon their defeats. She inhabited Mika's zanpakutou and thus my sword was created. My descendents have handed it down ever since and I'm supposed to do the same once my daughter begins her training. We also have a back-up that we hand down for the mothers to use when training the daughters. It was Michiru's sword, Amaterasu. Funny, isn't it? Sun goddess and beautiful snow. It's like they were created to oppose one another. I wonder if that's what Miyuki had in mind. She never says much about her intentions, but she and I have all but assimilated. She tells me that I'm her favorite so far, and that I have a more compassionate nature when it comes to using my zanpakutou than my predecessors. And I'm nicer, or something." Mikan paused to see if Shuuhei would ask any further questions concerning her zanpakutou. He blinked a couple of times and rearranged himself for his next question, almost afraid of the answer.

"Have you achieved bankai?"


	6. Mother

Chapter Six: Mother

"Have you achieved bankai?" He was reluctant to ask. If she had, he would have to reevaluate some of his plans. Would he tell anyone? Would _she_ tell anyone? She didn't seem like the bragging type and probably only used her bankai if completely necessary. Mikan didn't answer him; she simply smiled. Shuuhei understood it as a yes and sat back, absorbing that. "How long have you been training?"

"Since I was old enough to hold a sword. Even a dummy wooden sword. I guess I was about six when mom told me all about my latent shinigami powers. That makes sixteen years, then. I'm still not perfect though..." Shuuhei took this cryptic remark to mean that her bankai was incomplete. A small, unawkward silence passed between them and Mikan finally got up to throw away their empty Ramune bottles. Returning, she clicked the Soul Society monitor off and flopped back on the couch next to Shuuhei. "So. Whatcha wanna do now? I've got a set of books upstairs that you might like. They go into great detail about the first through fourth wars with the Menos. You might find something useful in them about the current war with the Arrancar." Shuuhei perked to attention when she mentioned this.

"Would you mind if I took those back to Soul Society with me today? I'd like to show them to Yamamoto if at all possible. He's better at the whole strategy deal and he's in a higher position than I am. I'm sure they'd be of use, though."

"Sure. Anything to help save the world, I always say," she remarked with a grin. "It may take a few days to pore through them, though. There are eighteen volumes."

"No big deal. It's not like a few days will matter in the long run. The Arrancar haven't mobilized into a direct assault on Soul Society yet. The ten strongest are still biding their time away in Hueco Mundo. I'm pretty certain Kurosaki Ichigo and his companions are there now on personal business with Aizen. He kidnapped one of their friends, you see, and Kurosaki tends to act on impulse so he, Ishida Uryuu, and Yasutora Sado have headed off in that direction to save one Inoue Orihime. I have a feeling that Abarai Renji and Kuchiki Rukia will soon follow. Both have hinted leaving, with or without Yamamoto's permission. To each his own, I suppose. I know Inoue and Kurosaki were close, but I'm not sure why the Arrancar may have wanted to kidnap her. Something about a special time magic, I believe. No one's really explained it very well to me, so I can't make much of a comment. All I have to say is that it must've been something spectacular or Aizen wouldn't waste his time." Shuuhei sat back, having provoked himself into thought. Mikan leaned back as well, uncrossing and crossing her legs.

"I don't know about any of that... I catch very little of what's going on in Soul Society now because of my job and the increased number of hollows in my area. It's so hard to find time to do much else these days." She sighed and unconsciously leaned into Shuuhei, propping her head on his shoulder. He looked at her with an eyebrow quirked and then dismissed it. Proof, he thought, that she did have some measure of interest in him. Suddenly, she sat bolt upright in her seat, wide-eyed and pink-cheeked. Shuuhei tried his hardest not to laugh, but the look on her face was so priceless. Apparently she hadn't realized what she'd just done until after she'd done it. It was nothing much to be embarrassed about, he thought, but apparently she felt differently.

"Oh, c'mere." He shook his head and put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her against him. She smiled sheepishly and returned to leaning on him. She could've fallen asleep like that. It had been a long time since she'd gotten close to anyone like this and it was nice to have a boyfriend feeling again, even if she and Shuuhei weren't official or anything like that. She was impressed, really, because of how lifelike the gigai was. It was kinda creepy, really. Her musings were suddenly interrupted, however, by a massive spiritual pressure. Her eyes snapped wide open and she looked up at Shuuhei to see if he'd noticed it. She didn't really need to look at him because she could feel the new tenseness of his muscles as reaction enough. The door knob jiggled briefly and then the door opened and closed with a bit of a slam. Mikan sat up slowly and reached down for her zanpakutou and then remembered she'd left it in the kitchen. Suddenly, a red high-heeled pump clattered through the kitchen and landed under the dining room table. Mikan breathed a sigh of relief and stood up. The second shoe followed and landed about three feet away from the other one. An attractive woman in her late forties walked forward and into the living room. Mikan stared at her with a bitter look in her eyes and leaned forward to grab a marble paperweight from the coffee table.

"Hello, dear!" the woman said brightly, adjusting her jacket. Mikan pulled her arm back and threw the paperweight as hard as she could at the strange woman. Shuuhei looked on, dumbfounded. The woman caught it easily and began to pass it between her hands. "Come now, darling, is that any way to greet your mother?" Mikan's mother had the same mischievous grin that Mikan often wore painted on her face as she chucked the paperweight right back at Mikan's face.

"You scared the shit out of us just now!" Mikan screamed, putting up a hand to catch the paperweight. "You could've called, or at least knocked! Why weren't you masking your reiatsu? I thought you were a Hollow!"

"Oh come on! You don't recognize my reiatsu next to a Hollow's? I'm hurt. Right here. My heart hurts when you say that," Mikan's mother said, patting her chest. She noticed Shuuhei and that same grin returned to her lips. "Oh, I see what was going on here. Am I disturbing something? You want me to leave?"

This broke Mikan's calm and she threw the paperweight so hard that her mother couldn't have caught it if she wanted to. However, it exploded into many tiny pieces just before it hit her in the face. "So I can't make friends with males anymore without it automatically being frowned upon by the likes of you? Just go. Leave. I don't want you here."

"So you were doing something."

"No, we weren't." Shuuhei stood, walking over to the woman and bowing politely before her. "I'm Hisagi Shuuhei, captain of the Ninth Company of the Gotei Thirteen in Soul Society. It's a pleasure to make--" He was cut off by Mikan's mother's purse smacking him hard in the face.

"MOTHER!"

"You, sir, should not be down here chatting it up with my unworthy daughter here. You should be in Soul Society, contributing to the effort against the Arrancar. You should be protecting the afterlife as we know it."

Mikan lunged forward and punched her mother in the face. "If you'd give him half a second to explain why he's here and not in Soul Society, you'd shut your big mouth about protecting shit. Jumping to conclusions as usual, I see. You are too true to your character. Just because you think you could do a better job up in Soul Society doesn't mean they aren't trying their best. Now sit down on the couch and listen to what we're about to tell you because you might just find it interesting. And if you call me unworthy one more time, I swear to god I'll hit you so hard you don't remember it." Mikan's mother looked genuinely scared after this outburst and she crept meekly over to the couch as Mikan helped Shuuhei up.

"Damn," he said, shaking his head. "You got rocks in there or something?"

"Yes, I do, actually. Dead useful." Mikan's mother sat, trying her best to retain a shred of dignity as she had just gotten schooled left and right by her daughter, of all people. "Now make me change my mind."

"All right. As you probably know, my former captain Tousen Kaname turned traitor on us to join Aizen in Hueco Mundo with the Arrancar. Now, upon promotion, I left a vice captain seat vacant. Still haven't found a proper replacement yet. However, I was in the neighborhood the other day and I met your daughter. I watched her slay a notoriously powerful Hollow with relative ease and began to consider her heavily in my list of candidates for vice captain of the Ninth Company. Today, we met again to discuss the proposal. She has agreed and I'll be giving her the vice captain test personally sometime this or next week. I believe she will be highly useful to us in the war against the Arrancar. You've trained her well," he added, smarming up to her just enough so that she'd like him.

Rubbing her sore cheek where Mikan had slugged her, Minako stared at Shuuhei appraisingly. "All right. I apologize for my earlier actions. And I'm flattered that you think my daughter is worthy of such a position. I think you're wrong"--Mikan glared hard at her, clenching her fists menacingly--"but I'm still flattered. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you, or perhaps help out?"

Mikan rolled her eyes, snorting. "I can't believe the things you say sometimes, 'Kaasan."

"It's okay, Mikan. She didn't know earlier."

"Still. She's so eager to change her mind now and 'make it up' to you. It's pitiful."

"Mikan, I'm sorry. What more do you want me to say?" Minako's eyes showed truth.

Mikan stood still for a second, mulling things over in her head. "You can start by picking up your shoes and putting them in the mud room where they belong. And then you can go home and dig up anything you think might be useful to Shuuhei and me."


End file.
